Have you ever heard of the compound effect?
This is the notion that small decisions, no matter how seemingly insignificant at the time, can compound to have a positive, long-lasting impact.
For example, if you commit to reading a chapter of a book every day, by the end of the year you will have read a mini library – a great way to make headway into that reading list that has been gathering dust.
This compound effect can be deployed in many areas of our lives: financial, health, career, relationships, friendships and so on.
Central to compounding is micro decisions. We all face stacks of these every day: will you eat that chocolate bar? Will you pay for that expensive coffee? Will you go for that walk? Will you pick up your phone and doomscroll your socials? Will you call that friend you haven’t spoken to in a while?
Micro decisions can lead to macro habits. According to those in the know, they can shape your decision-making process; helping you to make healthier choices while boosting productivity.
So, here’s an experiment: tracking your micro decisions. Even if it’s the most banal, seemingly inconsequential choice, make a note of it in your phone or a notebook.
I tried this for a week. And I was amazed at what I learned about myself…
Making Micro Decisions In Advance
I am not an effective good decision maker.
I’m equal parts impulsive, equal parts a ditherer. Sometimes I make choices that I regret. Sometimes, I don’t make a decision at all.
Occasionally, I like to play card games in my spare time. Whether that’s poker with friends or blackjack at an online casino, I’m faced with scores of micro decisions every time: should I fold my hand, call or raise, stand or hit, or split my pairs? It’s one of the reasons I became more interested in how casino platforms and game mechanics evolved over the years, especially after reading more about the background of sites like Megaways Casino and the way modern casino games are designed around player engagement and decision-making.
One of the things I’ve learned is that when I have a plan in mind and consider the rational, logical thing to do, the outcome is generally much more agreeable than if I’m impulsive, spontaneous and, dare I say it, reckless.
Card players label this structured decision-making as analysing ‘EV’, which stands for ‘expected value’, while emotion-based micro decisions are described as being ‘on tilt’… you don’t need me to tell you which is the more effective of the two mindsets.
I applied this logic to one of the areas of my life that could do with the most improvement: my diet.
I’m a grazer and a compulsive eater. There, I said it. For work, I sit at a desk all day. That means that lunch is often something I can just grab and eat – convenience, laziness… they’re often two heads of the same snake.
As for dinner… all bets are off. Microwave ready meals, oven chips, takeaways; once in a while these are fine, but every night? That’s not the diet of a champion.
So I decided to take control of this aspect of my life by pre-planning my micro decisions in advance. Meals were cooked, prepped and stored in Tupperware boxes. Rather than procrastinating at my desk, I finished work on time and gave myself a chance to cook dinner from scratch.
A week passed and I somehow felt lighter and more energised. I spent a heck of a lot less money, too. Unburdened by the weight of flavourless microwave lasagna, I feel… better?
Micro Decisions (On the Spot)
From eating choices to choosing an outfit to wear the evening before, I was able to save time and money with pre-planned micro decisions.
But what about those choices that have no forewarning? The ones that have to be made on the spot?
I read an article published a few years ago about the tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, who spoke about the notion of conscious breathing. Basically, whenever he feels like he is losing control of his emotions on court, he slows everything down and begins to listen to himself breathing.
In and out. In and out.
Within seconds, he’s recomposed and ready to play his best tennis again.
I realised that this could help me on my journey. Which is how I found myself staring back at my own reflection, fogging up the glass of the window of the local bakery, as I consciously breathed my way out of impulsively buying a pan au chocolate for lunch.
Psychologists like Daniel Kahneman (Thinking, Fast and Slow) and Dr Steve Peters (The Chimp Paradox) promote this slowed-down way of thinking, and I definitely noticed the difference when tracking my own decision-making processes during the week.
I’m a social media addict. I cannot go 15 minutes without picking up my phone and scrolling. But what am I looking for? What validation am I seeking? What kind of endorphin rush am I expecting at 11am on a Tuesday morning?
This past week, every time I reached for my phone I took a breath. I stopped to ask myself a simple question: why?
I went from checking my phone 30 times a day down to ten. By the end of the week, I was putting my device out of sight altogether – only returning to it at lunch and in the evening.
The outcome? A clearer mind, the fog lifted. I was more productive, and when I made a conscious decision not to check my phone after 10pm each night, I was suddenly sleeping better, too.
Towards the end of the week, I received a WhatsApp message from an old friend. We used to see each other all the time, but life changes… and things change with it.
He told me that a couple of our old school friends, who had left town when they went off to study at university, were coming ‘home’ for the weekend. Did I want to meet up?
I could feel the social anxiety creeping through my veins. The impulse to say no was almost too much to bear. But I breathed a little more consciously, slowed down my thinking and came to the conclusion: yes, I would like to meet up.
So, that’s next weekend sorted.
I don’t know if my week of tracking micro decisions will have any long-term impact on my life. But what I do know is that I feel better, sharper and more like my old self already.
It could be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made…
